


FIELDS OF GOLD: THE DARKWATER CHRONICLES.

by RunePhoenix6769



Category: RWBY
Genre: 80's, Angst, Anthology, Beehaw, Bumbleby - Freeform, Cowboys, F/M, Fluff, Foster Care, Found Family, Gen, High School, Mention of Mental Illness, Rural USA, two broody emo teenager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-12
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:49:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,836
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25215772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RunePhoenix6769/pseuds/RunePhoenix6769
Summary: (20 odd/30 years before Fields of Gold)Raven and Qrow Branwen have never had anyone they could rely on growing up, only each other. And now they have been dropped off in the podunk town of Clearwater, out in the boonies and far from anything a teenager would call desirable.With no where else to turn, the pair must navigate this backwater dive, where the peculiar and out of towners aren't taken to kindly.Yet in the shadows of the harvest and the curves of the lazy river, unlikely bonds are forged that will last a life time and decisions will be made that will cause a ripple effect far beyond the twin's wildest imagination.(An anthology of short fictions set in the 80's covering the Branwen twins from their arrival in Clearwater and on.The people they meet and the friendships they make).  Precursor to Fields of Gold
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Yang Xiao Long, Raven Branwen/Taiyang Xiao Long
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	FIELDS OF GOLD: THE DARKWATER CHRONICLES.

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Outside the window, she watched the dismal scenery whizz past. Flat, barren fields stretching out as far as the eye could see merging with the dishwater grey horizon in the distance. Occasionally, she would be tossed into the air rattling round the backseat like a ball bearing in a pinball machine when the tires of the Jeep Wagoneer hit a particular nasty bump.

Every time the seatbelt would harshly cut into her midriff threatening to bi-sect her and there would be a sharp swift pain as the small slither of skin on the back of her lower thighs, in between where her skirt ending and her long stockings began, was ripped from the leather of the seat. Beside her, her twin brother cursed under his breath. Having a few inches on her, his head kept colliding with the roof. A few minutes or miles later, _did it really matter?_ , the whole ordeal would happen again.

And that is what this was, an _ordeal!_

Up in the front seat, tapping a rhythm on the steering wheel their case worker, Miz Lydell chuffed on a cigarette, billowing acrid blue smoke like a dragon of old. The interior of the car swam with it, thick and curling like the chimney of the factories in the industrial quarter of the city they had just left.

The teenager had given up on remembering their names a long time ago, being they never stayed very long.

Miz Lydell, with her fashionable poofy hair she probably paid a fortune for and large shoulder pads was the twin's third case worker in as many months. Of course, when they had met, Miz Lydell had trotted out the usual spiel the twins had heard numerous times over, like it was memorized from a damn card and handed out to all prospective care workers.

_"You matter to us! And ain't it a crying shame about your circumstances? You're special kids who deserve a special home. We'll find you a Mom and Dad soon enough, but for now, these nice people will take care of you!"_

That was a lie!

Most folks were in it for the money. Or do gooders with overly bright brittle smiles that didn't quite reach their eyes, brandishing a bible and a cross looking to brainwash more followers into the cult of the Good Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

_Sanctimonious Assholes!_

But the teenager had to give credit where credit was due, after the initial meeting Miz Lydell had taken the pair out for burgers and told them the score.

Like they were some sort of doggy rescue, it was going to be practically impossible to place them in a forever home as a pair, no matter the stupid law passed by Congress a good few years previous. Folks preferred babies and cute little kids to add to their picture perfect families, not two 15 year old teenagers cusping on 16, with a tendency to get into trouble. Between them, they hadn't quite got a rap sheet but they had come close being smoothed over by the case workers, or in the last town by the creepy Stepford's in their matching outfits. Not out of any affection for the twins but more born out of _reasons_.

Mr Stepford had liked to place his hands on vulnerable teenage girls without Mrs Stepford knowing.

And Raven Branwen was far from helpless, though her circumstances might lead one to believe otherwise

Having been in many homes, she had known the signs. The lingering hungry looks, the 'excuses' to check up on her when she was changing, the preferential treatment offering her little 'boons' or wanting to take her on errands, alone, under the guise of wanting to bond.

The first finger that landed on her, she had put a penknife through his hand.

He had called her a bitch and a whore and whilst he stumbled downstairs bleeding and cursing, she had grabbed her emergency rucksack and shimmied down the drainpipe with her brother scrambling out of the other bedroom window, hot on her heels.

The cops had picked up Qrow attempting to shoplift for food, child protection had been called, their case worker had refused to come washing her hands of them claiming the Branwen twins were a 'lost cause' and they had been palmed off onto Miz Lydell.

Surprisingly, Miz Lydell had believed her and had broken the rules by allowing them to stay with her until she could find a suitable place for the pair. A place they could stay just until they were deemed legal adults and no longer wards of the State. And this was why they had been bundled in the back of Miz Lydell's wagon with their meager belongings and were careening along deserted country roads on a freezing cold late afternoon in the middle of the academic year heading to Buttsville County where ever the fuck they were going.

The radio disc jockey announced, through the occasional crackle of static,

" And here's your number one single, 'Livin on a Prayer' by Bon Jovi.. Taken from their third album, 'Slippery when Wet'... Ho ho ho,-" The announcer chuckled, talking over the opening bars of the song, "- That's Bon Jovi reminding all you folks out there to be careful on the roads and mind the black ice! Lil Dixie 97.4 FM.."

Raven rolled her eyes at the obtuseness of the DJ.

_It's a euphemism, dip shit!_

As the thrumming bass and drumbeat kicked in, Miz Lydell stubbed out her cigarette in the middle console ashtray, pressing in the button lighter built into the dash to heat up and began to fish out another cigarette from a soft packet in preparation.

Beside her, Qrow was tapping out a beat on his tight fitting threadbare black jeans. His knobbly pale knee sticking out of a huge rip as his leg bobbed to tempo only he could hear playing on his Walkman, the bright orange sponge of the 'cans' clashing with his black hair he had spiked up with glue. Sometimes he spent more time in front of the mirror getting ready than she did and she had thick unruly hair that cascaded down her back and was difficult to manage at the best of times.

The two tracks of spikes sticking up and long fringe pulled down to one side over the left half of his face in a style that was meant to be 'cool', reminded her of a picture of an armor plated dinosaur she had seen in a book once. The whole thing was slightly ruined by the thin headband of his ear phones.

Raven watched in mounting disgust as Qrow began to excavate his nose with a painted black fingernail. He was like an archaeologist the way he was rooting around, digging so deep Raven was afraid he might actually poke his brain, if he had one. He pulled out his finger, inspecting his no longer buried treasure before wiping it on car door. Raven pulled a face and gave him a swift dig in the ribs with her elbow.

Ripping off the headphones, he scowled,

"What?"

She could just about hear The Cure whining from the orange sponge of the headphones, clashing with the pop of Bon Jovi,

"Don't be a fucking animal!"  
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"What the _fuck_ do you care?"

From the front seat, around a cigarette firmly clamped between teeth,

"Oi!.. Language!"

"She started it!"

"I don't care who started it...Pack it in!"

The built in cigarette lighter gave a loud POP in the dashboard. Like a pro Miz Lydell never took her eyes off the road, holding the bright red coil to the end of her Lucky Strike, sucking and pulling, little plumes of smoke escaping her mouth, until she was satisfied it was lit.

Replacing his earphones, Qrow slumped back in the seat with his arms sullenly crossed over his chest. He tried to wriggle in the seat to get comfortable, no doubt his skinny ass was as numb as Raven's own and his long legs cramped.

Another plume of thick smoke caused Raven to cough. Grabbing the knob on the car door, she pumped her arm winding down the window to let in some fresh air. She was suddenly hit by a blast of frigid wind so cold it caused her eyes to water almost as much as the smoke.

 _" ~ Ohhhh, we're half way there. WHOAAAAAA HO LIVIN ON A PRAYER! ~ "_ Bon Jovi wailed just as the winking lights of the town in the distance came into view through the windshield. The dark silhouette of the town's skyline hugged the ground closely and yet fanned out on all sides. Barely any of the low flat roofs of the buildings looked to be above two storeys.

They sped past a sign already illuminated in a sickly orange glow in preparation for the oncoming night, that simply read,

 **"Clearwater Welcomes You!"** and underneath it _**Home of the Wild Hogs.**_

Raven shivered, trying to pull her black leather biker jacket closed and ducked her chin into her red scarf, careful that it didn't catch on her loose black beaded necklace.

_School spirit...Great!..... They were most certainly living on a prayer, indeed!_

And she genuinely wondered how long they would last.

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Guiding the car the through the wide streets of the unfamiliar town, Miz Lydell had stubbed out her cigarette, lowered the volume of the radio and wound down the window, slowing to an almost crawl so she could peer out at the green signs of street names.

Disinterested, Qrow pulled a battered silver Game & Watch from the pocket of his patch covered denim jacket. The faded red buttons were almost pink from use and he began tapping away furiously, high pitched electronic beeps merging with the radio station's jingle. Raven kept her eyes peeled, trying to memorize the route they were taking, in case they needed to flee at a moments notice. Fidgeting, she pulled at the edges of her fingerless arm warmers. It looked like they were on the main road of the small town and so far she hadn't spotted a Greyhound stop.

The main street was wide and flat, bordered either side with a smattering of cars parked in front of red brick store fronts with awnings that lent their shelter to the sidewalk. On the right hand-side, one store looked new, it's freshly painted viridian green sign with bold bright yellow lettering read, 'General Store'. There was a warm light coming through the slightly fogged up window with the darker shadows of people moving inside.

Further down the street, on the corner of a intersection, a restaurant with **Dana's Diner** over the door in red on white. It that looked to be quiet busy with the number of vehicles parked outside. It hugged the left corner of the street at the traffic lights. Whilst the wagon idled in traffic, Raven caught a brief glimpse through the window, with condensation creeping at it's edges, a group of teenagers gathered in a booth evident by their jackets indicative of high school athletes the country over. What struck Raven as odd was a number of the teenagers wore cowboy hats of varying colours.

Leaning over, she nudged her brother. Looking up from his game, he followed where Raven was pointing and he snorted. He pretended to puff out his chest, raised his shoulders to make his neck disappear and pulled a face giving himself an over bite. He put on a voice trying to mock the country accent,

"Duhhhh, coaach, can I touch your leathery bawwwls?...Put me in coach, put me in! I practiced all summer on the bulls, Coach... I can cup them real gud...Duuuuh!"

Raven giggled. She began to match him, making her voice high pitched and breathy like a 1950's blond bombshell movie star who liked to sing about President's birthdays and wear flowey white dresses,

"Gimme a B... Gimme an A... Gimme an L .. L S.. What do you got?"

The twins answered in perfect sync, yelling,

"BAAAAALLLS!"

The pair of them collapsed into giggles that only intensified when they spotted a small pudgy looking woman wrapped in a heavy overcoat looking at the car, aghast, having heard it through Raven's open window.Through the rear-view mirror, Raven caught Miz Lydell's eye who looked nonplussed and shook her head at their antics.

Slowly the car pulled off, taking a right at the intersection and Raven could see how the left turn seemed to lead down a slight incline that ended in what looked like a small Cinema at the far end, if the illuminated sign was to be believed. The teenager doubted that this far out from anything remotely looking like normal civilization that it would be showing the newest releases.

Suddenly there was a loud rumble, the interior of the jeep rattle and shook. Coming round the corner was a vehicle Raven had only ever seen in a book or on the tv. It was absolutely massive, with small wheels at the front and wheels taller than Qrow at the back.

It easily dwarfed the jeep.

_How far out in the boonies were they that tractors were deemed an acceptable mode of transport? Weren't they meant to be in a field not on the road?_

Wide eyed, Qrow stared at it out of the car window, even going so far as turn in his seat and watch it lumber along, out of the back-window,

"Is that a fucking tractor?"

"OI, LANGUAGE!"

He sat back down in the seat,

"Sorry, Miz Lydell."

Raven threw her brother a quizzical glance at his unusual politeness.

Holding out a crumpled piece of paper, Miz Lydell asked,

"Here... Could one of you read this out for me whilst I drive?"

With lightening quick reflexes, Raven snatched it before her brother even had chance to move. Left to him they would probably end up on the West Coast. She supposed she wouldn't mind seeing it some day, feeling the sand in her toes and the glittering blue ocean laid out like a vast blanket with no end in sight, lapping at her ankles.

Though the pair of them are so pale, they would probably burn like a steak on a grill.

Slowly, she de-rumpled the paper trying to smooth out the creases on her leg. In the dwindling light in the backseat, she held it close to the window, squinting at the nearly undecipherable chicken scratch.

"It says to follow the road round the village green and take the right just before the bank. Carry straight on through for a few blocks to somewhere called Redbud Banks."

Following the directions, Miz Lydell skirted past the square village green. It struck Raven as neat and clipped even though it was colder than a witch's tit. In the middle of the green a tall monstrous slide, the type that would tear the skin off the back of your thighs or brand you like a steer in the height of summer, there were the usual swings and round about, a rocket shaped jungle gym that reminded the teenager of the doomed Challenger and for a split second she wondered if it was a totem to some cosmic joke at their expense.

Their future in this place, a disaster waiting to happen?

A few children were braving the cold, waddling around in thick coats chasing a ball, gaily coloured hats and scarfs and gloves making them easily recognizable to their parents, who stood on the edges of the green rocking on their toes or jumping up and down on the balls of their feet trying to encourage circulation.

She watched as a little girl, with bright golden braids poking out of her hat that bounced on her shoulders as she ran, barreled into a man with matching hair that Raven assumed must be her father. With a broad smile on his face, he picked up the little blonde girl, kicking her red boots bright against the dull backdrop of the sky. From inside the wagon, Raven heard her shrieking delighted laughter as her father tipped her upside down, her hat falling off and her golden braids dangling. At the picture perfect moment of familial bliss, an ache started in Raven's chest, travelling to her stomach as yearning and longing morphed into dull anger.

Quickly, she pumped the winch trying to close the window as fast as she could.

No, they didn't need anything like that! _She_ didn't need anything like that!

She could feel Qrow's eyes on her. The muscle in her cheeks temples ached as she clenched her jaw refusing to outwardly quail under his concerned gaze.

"What?" She spat.

Qrow shrugged,

"Nothin."

So what if in the depths of the night laying awake in yet another strange bed she daydreamed that their real father would turn up and whisk them both away to a huge house. He'd be something cool like a rockstar or maybe a Hollywood actor, their mother had told them once that he had gone to California to make his fortune. Maybe he hadn't been able to come for them because he wanted to get his career off the ground first and when he made it he'd been scouring America for them.

Or maybe their mother would come back, crying and apologizing that she hadn't been able to look after them properly, which was partially true.

Their mother had joined up with some weird hippie cult living in a commune and going by the name of Freya Branwen. She had named them Raven and Qrow claiming she wanted to pay homage to her Native American and Viking ancestry or some stupid shit. Traveling from place to place with their belongings stuffed in a beat up Volkswagen camper-van was all they had ever really known, spending a number of months here or there before they moved on to the next town , their mother claiming that variety was the spice of life.

They had been raised by her until they were 10 or maybe even 11-ish and Raven had a clear recollection of what she looked like. Tall with black curly hair and brightly coloured clothes, bangles clacking off each other, eyes a peculiar brown that they almost looked deep red in the camp firelight. She had been very pretty but then again didn't every kid believe their mother beautiful?

In the small town of Hugo in a corner of the cultural Little Dixie region , the cart broke from the horse.

It's mild weather and mixture of eclectic people had drawn their mother. It was said to be a town that accommodated traveling rodeos and circuses on their off season. Raven and Qrow had been grateful that it seemed they had finally settled down, moving all the time made it difficult to make friends and their schooling had happened in dribs and drabs. Now they could finally catch up. They had been excited at the peculiar individuals and it was normal to see people practicing tightrope walking in their front garden when the kids came home from school, or for a store clerk to be juggling jars and vegetables in the rows of produce. In the park, men and women with brightly coloured clothing would tell wild and fantastical stories to enthralled children and seeing a horse grazing along side an elephant was as regular as a bus next to a motorcycle.

Being on a hub of roads and railways intersecting, it was normal to see faces for a week or two, looking for a bit of respite before moving on. Raven had even picked up a few things from the transient performers.

They had been there a year maybe even two when thunderheads had appeared on the horizon.

It hadn't seemed odd at first when they had come home from school on a midsummer evening to find the TV on and no sign of their mother. The town was always quiet in the summer months, most having left in convoys ready to ply their trade on the road under the Big Top bringing feats of wonderment and magic to other places. The pair had simply done what they always did, made a snack of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, watched their favorite show on TV and then headed out to play or ferret out any new discoveries. Qrow in his battered sneakers with holes and Raven in home patched jeans had heading their separate ways.

He had gone down to play with the other boys of the permanent residents, amongst the cabooses shooting cans or beer bottles with a BB gun, and she, note book in hand, had gravitated in the opposite direction towards where the stragglers and retirees lived like she always did after school looking to learn something new and exciting. Under the watchful eye of an injured cowboy and a wizened looking woman who claimed Choctaw ancestry, Raven had practiced her knotting and roping.

She had beamed when the old woman had praised her knot work. They held steadfast and strong no matter how she or the cowboy tugged and yanked.

Raven's aim and trajectory would need a lot of practice, being unable to even lasso the stationary cowboy, and more than once when she had ended up in a tangle of limbs and rope when trying to copy the injured cowboy's roping tricks.

Her attempt at the Texas Skip had her face first in the dirt. Neither the cowboy or the old woman laughed, instead they had let her pick herself up, dust herself off and showed her foot placement and pointed out how to feel the rope, to listen to the rope, tune into the currents of the wind, try to visual herself occupying the space between. To allow it to naturally whip through the air and not try to force it. Exerting her will would only serve for the Lariat to rebel.

Her butterfly and vertical loop needed work but her flat-loop was coming along nicely. It wouldn't be long before she was a regular Flores LaDue. Who ever that was. When the evening had begun to cool and the old lady had retreated inside allowing Raven to take the one of her lasso ropes to practice by herself, she had headed home.

She had been truly happy.

The twin's had seen to their own dinner, being a common occurrence as their mother encouraged independence, they had both gone to bed. In the morning they had checked in on their mother's room and finding it unoccupied had headed to school. Finding it empty was slightly less terrifying than when their mother didn't leave it for days, or when she stared vacantly at nothing in particular for hours on end, food untouched until one of the twins had to feed her or being woken in the middle of the night with a manic glint in those almost red eyes, harrying them into the camper-van, muttering under her breath.

One the third day of taking care of themselves, they had both been called to the headteacher's office. They were greeted by a police officer and an older lady with large brown glasses and short hair that was greying at the temples and stank of peppermint.

Raven had remained quiet, Qrow squeezing her hand so tight she thought it might break, when the lady had calmly explained that their mother was going away for a while and they were going to stay with someone else, just until things could get sorted. Raven had hated the look of pity in the eyes of the headteacher.

They had been taken back to their home and told to pack a bag of clothes and essentials and choose a toy or two, not that they had much in the ways of belongings to begin with. Raven had bolted to her mother's bedroom, unscrewed the loose bed-knob and pocketed what little few bills had been stashed there.

She had grabbed a few mementos and keepsakes, including a black beaded necklace that was her mother's favourite.

In their shared bedroom, she and Qrow had cast each other worried glances whilst they stuffed clothes into their rucksack and army duffel bag, a dab hand at impromptu packing that this point. Her brother had looked on the verge of tears looking so small in their mother's denim jacket that dwarfed him.

Subdued, Qrow had dutifully gotten into the back of the police officer's squad car, whilst the officer locked the house door and pocketed the key,'for safe keeping'. Raven on the other hand had bolted, unable to give up the idea that their mother might come back and would be frantic with worry if they weren't there. _How would she know where to find them?_. That maybe all this was just a mistake, a case of government squares getting all up in their business. The officer hadn't been able to keep up as she ducked down an alley and squeezed through a gap in the fence created by a loose board.

She had hot footed it to the nearest telephone booth. She had to shimmy up the sides and lean on the small counter to reach the phone pad and stretch with shaking fingers to feed dimes into the slot. She had tapped in the overly long number her mother had made her memorize in case of emergencies. The dial tone had been long and drawn out before being picked up and a drawling Southern accent had replied,

"Hello, you have reached the Branwen residence."

At the name Branwen, it had ignited a spark of hope. With heart hammering in her chest, she had tried to keep the shake out of her voice, trying to speak loud and clear in case it got lost on the line,

"I'm Freya's daughter, Raven... They've taken her away and they want to give us away..." She had sniffed, unable to hold back the tears, "- Is granmama there."

The woman at the end of the line went quiet for such a long time, Raven was afraid that the coins had run out. Then she heard the loud high pitched yaps of dogs and a posh accent,

"Marisol... Who, pray, has called?"

Raven heard the reply,

"It's a little girl claiming to be the one of the twins, Ma'am.... Her name is Raven an she sayin the young Miss might be in a spot of bother.... Seems like she's goin by the name of Freya now, Ma'am. Sounds like the Services has them."

With static coming down the line and an obnoxious beep, the little girl hadn't heard the reply, instead too focused on struggling to push coins into the slot. Her voice had come out small and hopeful,

"Are you still there?"

"I've been permitted to tell you that no one of that name is known at is this residence."

In a raising panic, Raven begged,

"PLEASE, GRANMAMA. WE HAVE NO ONE ELSE. PLEASE!"

There had been a hushed conversation and a new voice had come on the line, clipped and unfeeling,

"Branwen Residence, Lady of the House speaking."

"Granmama?" There had come no reply, and Raven had forged ahead, swallowing hitching breathes, "- Qrow and I .... I'm Raven... Our momma is your daughter, Freya. .. She told me to ring this number is there was an emergency.-" The young girl girl didn't know what was most important to say, so she had settled on it all, knowing that this was their one and only life line. "- We don't know where she is.... She's missing...in Hugo.. that's in Oklahoma.... A cop and a lady from services are taking us.... I don't know what to do.. Please, help!"

A long drawn out pause,

"As my housemaid has already told you, we do not know anyone by that name here. I can't possibly imagine why your mother would give you this number?"

Desperately, in case the woman hadn't heard, Raven had added,

"My name is Raven.... Raven _Branwen_ , the same last name as yours!"

"Merely a coincidence... Though I sympathize with your plight, I really do, we can not help you! Please do not call this number again."

Scared, frustrated and in a fit of temper, Raven had screamed down the line,

"FUCK YOU, YOU OLD COW!"

She had slammed the heavy duty receiver into the small ledge repeatedly until her arm ached and exhausted she had slid down the side of the phone booth onto her lumpy rucksack, hugging her knees to her chest, crying. The dial tone emanating from the receiver swinging on it's cord, a mocking reminder of just how alone they were in the world.

Over the years, Raven had called a few times, and though the voice of the house-servant had changed, the greeting, 'Branwen Residence', had not, and she had never mustered up the courage to speak. Confirmation had come in the form of the twins eavesdropping on a care assistant availing one of their many placements of the sibling's circumstances.

Freya more than likely wasn't their mother's real name. She was mentally ill and had been institutionalized at the behest of an outside party, probably brought on by abuse of narcotics and a hippie lifestyle. The Branwen twins were the poster children as to why good ole Reagan was so committed to a war on drugs. They hadn't been able to locate their father, and it was doubtful their mother knew who he was, being a hippie who believed in free love and you know how _those_ sorts of people were. And their grandparents, though well to do, wanted nothing to do with two bastard children born out of wedlock. There daughter's antics a black mark on their reputation that brought nothing but shame.

Right then Raven vowed that she wouldn't be weak. That she and Qrow wouldn't rely on anyone else but each other.

Any place they stayed would be a means to an end just until they were old enough for the State to wash their hands of them, just like everyone else in their life.

Intrusive clicking of the wagon's indicator, coupled with Qrow's loud curse as he hit his head off the roof for the umpteenth and Raven was nearly sliced in half by the seat belt like a magician's assistant in a sword box trick gone hideously wrong when the vehicle's front wheels hit a drainage dip as they made the turn into a wide driveway. At it's entrance, a beautifully painted sign swinging underneath a mailbox that told them they had arrived at **Redbud Banks**.

Even in the dwindling light of dusk, Raven could make out the extensive and manicured lawn. Small trees, bare of plumage were dotted at intervals. The driveway curved round and both the twins craned their heads as the house began to appear on the left handside. Unbuckling his seat belt, Qrow clambered over his sister to get a better look.

From the front seat, even Miz Lydell seemed in awe,

"Well ain't that somethin!"

It was mainly spread out over two storeys with a wrap around porch at it's sturdy redbrick base protected by a sloping awning. A three storey turret facing southeast loomed up into the night sky, topped by a conical roof with a weather vane at it's tip. In the sloped shingled roof that covered the main bulk of the house was a smaller roof that jutted out a little protecting dark windows. It had a number of chimneys where wisps of smoke escaped only slightly visible before merging with the faded blues and weak oranges of the early evening sky.

Bright lights winked from out of the windows of the third story crows nest, suggesting it was occupied. The only other illumination escaping from the opposite southwestern corner of the house. In the driveway sat two cars, a Ford and a Buick.

Qrow gave a long low whistle.

"Holy shit, Rae! Have you seen it?"

Trying to push her brother off her, she sarcastically replied,

"I have eyes!"

"It's huge!"

Covering over her mouth, Raven became to make noises imitating an astronaut,

" _Kirssshkk_ Houston... _Kirsshskk_ We have a problem... _Kirsshk_ We have located the missing Captain Obvious... Please advise!" Qrow hit her in the chest. "- Oww you spaz... You got me right in the tit!"

"Serves you right!"

Raven shoved him. Losing his already precarious balance, he fell off the backseat onto the floor becoming wedged in the narrow gap between the front and back seats. He flailed with his arms and legs reminding Raven of a pathetic tortoise stuck on its back. Unclipping the buckle of her seat belt, she ripped open the metal handle and got out of the car.

From her vantage point, she looked down on her brother. Reaching out, he whined,

"Rae... A little help!"

"Bite me!"

She was about to close the door on him when his pleading intensified,

"Aww, come on, Rae.. You really gonna leave your baby bro like this?"

"Pathetic!"

He gave her look that he thought was charming. Raven was impervious as to her he just looked constipated. With an overly dramatic groan, she gripped him by the collar of his denim jacket and began pulling him out.

"Oi, watch the threads!"

She stopped,

"Do you want me to help you or not?" He nodded. "That's what I thought." She continued to pull him whilst he used the heels of his heavy duty boots to shimmy himself over the floor. Once she was able to get her hands under his armpits she dragged him out most of the way, not even giving himself chance to get his feet underneath him before she let go depositing him in the driveway. "- And FYI , you're only younger than me by 20 minutes!"

Rolling over onto his hands and knees, he grinned,

"20 minutes makes all the difference, barf bag!"

"You're such a Narbo!"

From the back of the Jeep Wagoneer, Miz Lydell handed the twins their belongings in a haze of cigarette smoke,

"Right, you two. Want you on your best behavior.-" Frustration crept into her voice, "- Try to make a good impression. ok?"

Qrow slung his army duffel bag over his shoulder,

"Miz Lydell, why can't we just stay with you?"

"We've been over this, Sunshine." Raven snorted at the nickname. Never in his life had Qrow ever been anywhere near 'sunny' or 'shiny' that she could remember. And most definitely not since hitting puberty. He liked to sulk and brood thinking his bad-boy charm did him wonders in the ladies department, Miz Lydell swatted the boy who was taller than her trying to get dirt off his shoulders, "- I'd take you both on in a heartbeat if it wasn't against the law."

Raven rolled her eyes.

_It was obvious Miz Lydell was trotting out a lame old line to placate them and make herself feel better about leaving them on a stranger's doorstep._

It stank to high heaven, not that Raven believed in such things. Right now, Miz Lydell could say whatever the hell she liked because after tonight they were some else's problem. It was the same attitude as every other adult they had come across since their mother had disappeared.

Qrow stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets, stooping his shoulders and kicking half halfheartedly with the toe of his boot at the gravel in a sulk. Miz Lydell stood in front of them, resting a hand on each their shoulders,

"I'm gonna be straight with you... This guy is a little weird."

Raven twisted out of her grip,

"Oh, for fucks sake!"

"Ok... I'll let you have that one." Raven turned, starting to stomp down the driveway. Miz Lydell shouted after her, "- He's not like Stepford, weird. He's just a bit kookie... Yeah, kookie is the word."

Raven ignored her.

_Maybe she could grab a bus from the terminal and head back to Hugo? She had enough money squirreled away for the fare. The circus and rodeo's were on their down time. With a bit more makeup she could pass for 18 or lend a hand some where for extra cash._

Behind her she heard the swift _crunch, crunch_ of someone trying to catch up and she was surprised when it was Miz Lydell not her brother. The teenage girl snatched her arm way from the light hand on her forearm, but she waited, looking out over the manicured lawn and roofs of the other houses just visible down the street.

Miz Lydell began,

"Look... I know the last few years haven't been easy for you both... And sometimes it's a bit more difficult for a girl."

_Biggest fucking understatement of the century!_

"But Ozpin is a friend of mine... Yeah.. he's a bit of an odd ball, but he's a good guy." Out of her periphery, Raven watched Qrow looking up at the house as Miz Lydell continued, "- I ain't gonna sugar coat it, honey. The office don't know where to put you anymore... I pulled some strings to get you here."

Raven pulled her thin leather jacket tighter around herself, shivering in the cold,

"So what you're saying is, _this_ is our last chance?"

Miz Lydell didn't answer, instead she cast a glance at Qrow and back at Raven. The unspoken implication heavier and hurting more than a beating. The care-worker covered it up,

"He won't lay a finger on either of you."

Raven's voice cracked over the consonants and vowels,

"You promise?"

Miz Lydell cupped her face,

"I promise!.... If you really don't like it here, I will come an get you. But just maybe give him a chance first?"

It was said with such sincerity, Raven almost believed it.

Qrow's voice carried as he shouted at them, it echoed with a strange quality. In the branches of one of the trees a bird cawed. Her brother had his hands shoved in his armpits and was stamping on the spot,

"Can we go inside? I'm freezing my fucking balls off... Stay outside any longer and I'll be a eunuch."

Miz Lydell gave Raven's bicep a soft squeeze before going back to her sibling, giving him a light cuff round the back of the head, scolding,

"What have I told you?... Language!" She gently pushed him towards the steps that led up onto the wrap around porch..

The teenage girl picked at the loose threads of her fingerless arm warmers and wiped at her dripping nose.

Movement in the upper window of the turret caught Raven's eye. Illuminated by the back light from the interior was a man who seemed to be sipping from a mug or a glass and was watching the display in the driveway below. White knuckled, Raven gripped the straps of her rucksack, the webbing feeling steady and tangible. He didn't move even when Qrow and Miz Lydell made it under the awning of the porch, absolutely out of his view, instead he continued to watch the teenage girl.

Raven pulled the straps of her rucksack tight, jutting out her chin in defiance, refusing to look away.

He raised his glass or mug and inclined his head in acknowledgement, causing Raven to scowl, then he moved off out of sight. The lights went out.

"Rae..... Are you coming?"

A loud caw of a bird made her nearly jump out of her skin.

_This place gave her the heebie jeebies. But for Qrow's sake, she was willing to suffer it. Make no mistake, at the first sign of trouble they would be out of there like a shot. Promise or no promise. Miz Lydell could count on that!_

Reluctantly, she made the steps and stood beside her brother. Miz Lydell asked,

"You ready?"

Qrow nodded and Raven set her features and hid a nervous swallow. The care worker pulled the chain outside the door. Even out here they could hear the clattering of bells.

The door opened.

Raven reached out to gently grip the excess material at the elbow of Qrow's denim jacket as a slight man dressed in a neat dark green shirt, a slate grey waistcoat and black pants opened the door. He had a light complexion and sharp facial features. His dark tousled hair was peppered with a light smattering of silver or white depending how you looked at it. It was hard to determine his age. He looked youthful yet felt old and stuffy with the way he held himself. In his hand was a large mug from which rose steam.

He silently started at the trio for what Raven felt was an uncomfortable long time, his thin brown eyes sizing them up. Raven tightened her grip on the material in her hand, nearly twisting it, causing Qrow to cast the smallest of glances over his shoulder and then step an inch back closer to her protectively.

The man took a slow measured sip of the mug, his gaze never leaving them. His face unreadable.

Finally, he spoke,

"Hello. I am Professor Oz Pin.... And welcome to my Home."


End file.
